Definition
Validation
Structured confirmation that a real customer has a real problem they will pay to solve.
From the episode “Stop Building, Do This First”Hear it on the podcast1 episode
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The Conviction-Coachability MatrixJesse Marble's framework for evaluating founders. Both axes must score high simultaneously — conviction without coachability produces a bulldozer; coachability without conviction produces a follower.The Gartner Hype CycleTechnology analyst firm Gartner's model for how new technologies move through public perception: Technology Trigger → Peak of Inflated Expectations → Trough of Disillusionment → Slope of Enlightenment → Plateau of Productivity. Eugene maps current LLM adoption to the Peak of Inflated Expectations — AI as panacea, an answer to every problem. The coming Trough will arrive as production limitations (hallucination, security vulnerabilities, error rates) surface in real enterprise deployments. The implication for builders: design for the Trough now, not just the Peak.The Mom TestA method for customer interviews that avoids leading questions and false validation.Top-Down Market SizingEstimating market size using industry-level data.Venture for AmericaA fellowship placing recent grads at startups, where Endear's founders met.Vertical AI SaaSA software-as-a-service product built specifically for one industry or use case, leveraging AI capabilities that are deeply integrated into the domain's workflows, data sources, and buyer behaviors - as opposed to horizontal AI tools that serve many industries with general-purpose functionality. Vertical AI SaaS requires deep domain expertise alongside AI competence: Loman.ai's team combines restaurant industry sales veterans (first DoorDash sales rep, Toast President's Club) with voice AI engineers (from Deepgram and ElevenLabs). The GTM strategy also differs from horizontal SaaS: distribution runs through industry-specific channels (restaurant owner Facebook groups, trade shows), success metrics are industry-native (labor cost per location, phone order revenue), and word-of-mouth operates within tight industry networks where one satisfied multi-unit operator can refer dozens of peers.Vesting CliffA milestone in an equity compensation schedule at which an employee's shares vest for the first time, typically after one year of employment.Warm introAn introduction through a trusted connector, as opposed to a cold message.